Internal Medicine Case Study

"Praxis allows you to practice medicine the way you want to practice it."

EMR Decision

Why use an EMR?

The big issue with paper charts was communication. I would see a patient and decide whether labs needed to be drawn, or tests needed to be ordered. Once the patient left the office, all these things needed to happen, and with only one chart the chart would go from desk to desk; all this did was slow things down. It would take weeks to even get a referral sent out. At this point, I realized that an EMR was the solution.

What made you choose Praxis EMR?

When I started looking for an EMR, the first place I looked was my practice management software. I saw a demo of the software and it was really complex: every single sentence, everything I had to type, was a dropdown menu. It took me minutes of clicking just to complete one sentence. I knew that was going to slow me down.

"I know that my staff has the tools to make sure that my patients are well taken care of."

I began to search online, and saw the American Academy of Family Physicians ratings. I noticed that year after year, Praxis was always in the top three. What really grabbed my attention was the idea that the EMR system actually learns how you practice medicine, based on how you chart. That's what made it different.

Praxis EMR and Internal Medicine

Seeing Patients

If I have a patient with a certain medical condition, I can create an assessment that contains my way of thinking, the questions I like to ask, and the things I like to check for. Not only does Praxis allow me to save this information for that patient, but it allows me to save it as a checklist for any other patient that comes in later with that medical condition.

"I never forget to do things because I have the reminders on the screen in front of me."

Flexibility

Praxis gives me flexibility. Every practitioner in the office can have a completely different way of doing things; it doesn't bind you to how other people want you to practice medicine. I am not bound to how the developer thinks things should be done, or another doctor who created the software. Praxis allows me to create a method with which I want to treat patients. It allows the other providers to have their own protocol, but at the same time it allows us to cooperate.

Praxis not only allows us to practice individually, but allows us to communicate with one other. We learn how each one of us manages patients and sees the system. !

Take us through a typical case with Praxis.

The most common cases I see are people who come in for a routine check-up. I normally deal with older patients, so they all have at least three or four chronic medical problems. They require blood work to be monitored on a regular basis.

Praxis allows me to view what they presented last time. Then all I need to do is activate the reasons they are here today. Their medical conditions brings up the list of common questions I ask for my interval history. I can complete notes in less than a minute, and that is how I maximize my effectiveness. Praxis helps me be consistent: the charting is really just an afterthought. I can really spend my time chatting with the patient and get to know them better, really developing a bond and not having to worry about software.

How does Praxis help both work and at home?

Praxis does so much for my work and home life. During the day I get a lot of work done here at the office, and don't have to take it home. Now that I've been using it for about 5 years, I have developed a knowledgebase that helps me get through visits quickly, so I can get out of the office at a decent time.

Praxis allows me to write my own queries. If I have a particular question or something specific to look into about my patients or practice, I go into the data base and write a query. Then I have my office staff run that report on a regular basis. I know that my staff has the tools to make sure that my patients are well taken care of.

Final Thoughts

Praxis is the most wonderful EMR out there because it allows you to practice medicine the way you want to practice it. At the same time, it allows you to share your information with other practitioners so that they can learn from you, and you can also learn from them and share their information.

I want other doctors to know that you don't have to pay a ton of money for a good quality EMR. You will be very happy with this product: you will see your practice doesn't have to be limited by software.